See it for Yourself

My wise hair dresser once told me that life was all about perspective. While some of the things that man said were far fetched, Howard did hit the nail on the head (or the split ends with the scissors, as it were) with that one.

Earlier this week after a conversation with a friend who is starting the medical school interviewing process (So so so so so glad that is OVER), I was feeling a little blue. My friend has an interview at the school that I desperately wanted to attend, but after interviewing there, was not accepted. The chronological (and emotional) distance I've had since that gut wrenching email has helped. And I have faith that I am exactly where I am supposed to be right now. But giving her advice for her interview and answering her questions about when she could expect to hear back from Dream School was tough. Don't get me wrong, I love my friend and want amazing things to happen to her! It just brought back a lot of feelings I thought had long since been put to rest. But later this week, when I was studying about the differences between secretory diarrhea and bloody diarrhea (Ahhhh, microbiology), I had an epiphany.

Five years ago if you were to ask me what I wanted to do after college I would have told you that my dream was to to go to medical school and become a doctor. People frequently used to ask me where I wanted to go to school and I remember answering (I can still hear the younger and more fit me saying it right now): "I don't care where I go. I'll go wherever I get in." And that was the truth. When it came right down to it, my dream was not to go to a school, it was to become a doctor. And in less than three years (wait, what?!) I'll have two letters after my name that will allow me to do just that. Be a doctor. Practice medicine. Help people.

If I hadn't ended up at the school I am at now, I wouldn't have met the amazing people I'm lucky enough to have by my side on this crazy adventure that is medical school. I wouldn't have learned that I can live a more than four hours away from my dad. Or that I can (barely) survive snow. The thing is, sometimes when our dreams come true, they look different than what we had imagined. But that doesn't make them any less beautiful or perfect for us. And I hope that I can remember that the next time I lose my perspective.

AND, in case you haven't laughed yet today, Sage Howard gave me that advice while he was putting TWO INCH blonde streaks into my hair, as per my request. Eeeshk. Talk about perspective. ;)